"Daydream Nation" - Sonic YouthWhen I was 14, I got really into Nirvana. Like, really into it. Like "lumberjack flannel everyday and bad attitude about everything" into it. But in my ceaseless quest to find more stuff that sounded like Nirvana, I came across a book that told me Cobain idolized this band called Sonic Youth. So naturally, I swung by the nearby record store and picked up Daydream Nation at the counter-guy's suggestion. It's safe to say this record changed my life. "Teenage Riot," for one thing, was the first song that ever truly spoke to me in a meaningful way. I heard a lot of myself in that album: the restlessness, dissonance, angst, wonder, and drive was all me in a way that made Nirvana look goofy in comparison. Guitars were pushed to their limits (and often beyond), and each song was more artful than the last. I still listen to this record on a regular basis: it's literally timeless.